NBA Player News

Baldwin was included in the Rodney Hood deal to make the numbers work, but he probably won’t have a very large role in Cleveland. Leave him on the wire.

For the first time since a November 26 loss to the Knicks, Knueppel failed to make a three-pointer in a game. He missed all three of his attempts against the Clippers, but the rookie wing still shot 66.7 percent from the field. Since the start of the new year, Knueppel has been a top-100 player in eight-cat formats, but the lack of defensive production has weighed down his value. However, that doesn’t change the fact that Knueppel has been one of the best rookies in the NBA and in fantasy basketball.

While Ryan Kalkbrenner has been available for the Hornets’ last two games after missing ten with a sprained left elbow, the Hornets have stuck with Diabaté as their starting center. And with good reason, as his activity has been difficult to ignore. While undersized, Diabaté is highly productive as a rebounder and shot blocker, and he’s been a top-100 player since the beginning of January. Kalkbrenner (two points) started the third quarter but only played 13 minutes while Diabaté logged 35. For the time being, Moussa is worth a look in 14-team leagues, especially with the Hornets closing Week 13 with three games in four days.

After ending 2025 on a run of five consecutive games with at least 22 points, Ball’s scoring output has fallen off to begin 2026. He only has two games of 20 points or more in seven appearances this month. Averaging 19.3 points on 43.6 percent shooting, Ball is ranked just outside the top-50 in eight-cat formats over his last seven games. That certainly isn’t poor value, but fantasy managers likely want more from Ball, given how well he played to close out 2025.

In recent games, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue has been more willing to give Miller and Kobe Sanders rotation minutes. On Monday, it was the former who stepped up, reaching double figures for the second time in three games. As for Sanders, he contributed eight points, three rebounds, one assist and two three-pointers against the Hornets. While neither Miller nor Sanders should be rostered in redraft leagues, injuries to Bogdan Bogdanović and Derrick Jones Jr. have freed up minutes for them.

Harden made some personal history during Monday’s game, and it can be argued that the way in which he did it was fitting. The Clippers’ guard made use of a ball screen, dribbling to his left and knocking down a three-pointer with 9:12 remaining in the third quarter to move into ninth on the NBA’s all-time points list. Harden, who passed Shaquille O’Neal, finished the victory with 32 points, the most in a game for him since scoring 34 in a December 26 win over the Trail Blazers.

Leonard put on a show during the third quarter, scoring 19 of his game-high 35 points. Availability hasn’t been a significant concern for the Clippers’ forward this season, and he’s been one of the most valuable players in fantasy basketball. According to Basketball Monster, he’s ranked second in eight- and nine-cat per-game value over the past month. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, the Clippers play only two more games in Week 13, but one is against the Wizards.

One of the few positives for the Lakers in a game in which they allowed the Kings to shoot 59 percent from the field was the production of their centers. After totaling 13 points and nine rebounds in his previous two games, Ayton recorded his 14th double-double of the season. By comparison, he had 20 double-doubles last season. Jaxson Hayes added 12 points (5-of-6 FGs, 2-of-4 FTs), five rebounds and one assist in 19 minutes off the bench. If LeBron James doesn’t play in Tuesday’s game against the Hawks, there should be more opportunities for Ayton and Hayes offensively, even if it’s just in the two-man game with Luka Dončić.

As a team, the Lakers shot 8-of-36 from beyond the arc, with James missing all five of his attempts. And with the Lakers unable to get stops when they needed them, the 41-year-old was subbed out for good with 1:53 remaining. James played 33 minutes, and he’s yet to play both games of a back-to-back this season. Consider him questionable for Tuesday’s game against the Hawks.

Dončić had it rolling during the first half of Monday’s game, scoring 26 points. However, after dropping 14 more in the third, the Lakers’ guard only scored two in the fourth. Add in the Lakers’ inability to get stops, and the result was another double-digit defeat. Simply put, the Lakers either come through in the clutch, or their stars wind up watching the final minutes of a loss on the bench (with the occasional exception). Dončić played both games of the Lakers’ last back-to-back, so that may bode well for his availability for Tuesday’s game against the Hawks.

After picking up three straight DNP-CDs, Monk has logged at least 19 minutes in each of the Kings’ last three games. Sacramento’s won two, and he had arguably his best all-around game of the season on Monday. Monk recorded season-highs in points, assists and three-pointers, doing his damage in 32 minutes off the bench. While Monday’s performance should inspire confidence among fantasy managers, it remains challenging to predict Doug Christie’s rotation on a nightly basis.